Portable fluid pumping station

ABSTRACT

A fluid pumping system for extracting or collecting fluids from a particular location and moving them to a storage or disposal facility. In particular, the invention relates to a self-contained, air pressure operated manually transportable fluid pumping station which can be manually conveyed by an operator from one location to another, either in a facility, e.g., a vehicle maintenance facility, or in an outside environment to facilitate the safe removal and transfer of oil, gasoline or other hazardous fluid materials between vehicles or from similar other machines into a storage or waste oil burning tank.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of fluid pumping systems forextracting or collecting fluids from a particular location and movingthem to a storage or disposal facility. In particular, the inventionrelates to a self-contained, air pressure operated, manuallytransportable fluid pumping station which can be manually conveyed by anoperator from one location to another, either in a facility, e.g., avehicle maintenance facility, or in an outside environment to facilitatethe safe removal and transfer of oil, gasoline or other hazardous fluidmaterials between vehicles or from similar other machines into a storageor waste oil burning tank.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to use pneumatic pumps, i.e., air driven pumps to create avacuum through a line, conduit or hose and thus transfer fluids from onelocation to another. Any number of such fluid pumping systems areavailable in the marketplace for moving fluids between certainlocations. By way of example, there are large oil supply pipelines fortransporting oil across continents, e.g., the Alaskan Pipeline, andthere are also many known smaller fluid pumping systems, for instance,small suction pumps coupled with storage tanks for collecting hazardousfluids from an undesired location, i.e., a spill on the ground. It isanother problem to design a safe, self-contained and manuallytransportable system which can be handled by a single person or operatorin a variety of situations with different holding tanks or storagecontainers separate from the transfer device and without the necessityof a vehicle or large support trailer.

A major environmental and physical hazard exists in most conventionalvehicle maintenance facilities; these hazards arise from the necessityand frequency of changing oil and other fluids in vehicles and othermachines. The most obvious environmental hazard is that of spilling oil,gas or other hazardous material and the necessity to ensure that such aspill is properly cleaned up and the correct disposal of the oil isundertaken. The resulting expensive clean up of excessive spills createdby manually attempting such fluid transfer processes can lead toenvironmental clean-up issues costing the maintenance facility ownerstime, money and potential fines. A less obvious physical hazard is thatto the maintenance personnel, who collect the oil from the vehicles orother machines. The maintenance personnel must usually drain the oilfrom the vehicle into a collection pan or container and then manuallycarry the oil pan or container to a storage tank or waste oil burnertank for disposal. The physical difficulty exists in that the personmust hoist or raise the oil pan overhead to transfer the oil from thecollection pan into a filling port of a storage tank which isinefficient, awkward and can lead to spills.

In particular, most storage facilities use above ground storage vesselsto store such fluids, such as gas and oil. Such above ground tanks areusually located in a containment area surrounded by concrete containmentfloors and walls or other such similar catch basins. The problemsassociated with these above ground storage systems are specifically thetransfer or fluid into them. In general, ladders or stairs are suppliedalong the side of the containment area and tank and a user ormaintenance operator, carrying the collection pan, must climb the stairscarrying the fluid and then dump it into the tank through an opening.This is a cumbersome and awkward process and can, of course, lead tospills and cleanup operations and even environmental damage.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the pneumaticpowered transfer of oil or other hazardous fluids from a supplylocation, i.e., from an initial location to a secondary storage or uselocation.

Another object of the present invention is to facilitate such transferby eliminating the necessity for manually hauling or carrying the oil orcontaminant to the fixed in place storage or holding tank.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a manuallymovable transfer station which can be taken to any location in amaintenance facility to collect and transfer the oil or othercontaminants.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a manualor movable transfer station which can be utilized in an outsideenvironment with a pre-charged cannister for providing the pneumaticpower to the pump.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a containmentvessel for containing any leaks or spills during such transfer process,for example, to be used in a vehicle maintenance facility or betweenvehicles in an emergency, for instance, the transfer of fuel from onevehicle to another on a highway or a parking lot.

The present invention relates to a self-contained fluid pumping systemwhich is capable of being manually maneuvered or rolled from onelocation to another, for instance, between one vehicle bay and anotherin an auto maintenance facility. A wheeled dolly, such as those used tomove heavy boxes or other objects, is used to support a pressurized airtank connected to a pneumatically driven vacuum pump also secured on thedolly. This eliminates the necessity for the use of electricity to drivethe pump and is a significant safety feature of the present invention,especially with the intended use of the pump with potentially hazardousfluid materials. The pump has an inlet hose which sucks up the desiredfluid and passes it through the pump to an outlet line which can beconnected to any desired fluid collection tank. The pump is powered bythe air pressure supplied from the pressurized air tank through a lineconnection and a pressure regulating valve between the air tank and thepump. An external pressure connection may also be placed in the lineconnection for an external air pressure source for driving the pump orrefilling the air tank.

The present invention also relates to a manually maneuverable fluidtransfer station for facilitating the transfer of a fluid from a supplypoint to a collection point, the fluid transfer station comprising amanually operable dolly having a pair of wheels on a lower portionthereof and a handle on an upper portion thereof to permit an operatorto manually wheel the dolly from a first location to a second location,a compressed gas tank supported on a platform on the lower portion ofthe dolly, the compressed gas tank having a first connection to a mainvalve for receiving an externally supplied gas, a pressure gauge and asecond connection to first end of a main gas supply conduit, the maingas supply conduit comprising a secondary valve for receiving anexternally supplied gas, a first shut off valve positioned on one sideof the secondary valve and a second shut off valve positioned on anopposing side of the secondary valve, a pneumatic pump connected to asecond end of the main gas supply conduit and a pressure regulatingvalve positioned between the second shut off valve and the pneumaticpump to provide for adjusting a gas pressure supplied to the pneumaticpump, and a fluid inlet conduit operably connected to the pneumatic pumpfor drawing a desired fluid from the supply point, and a fluid outletconduit operably connected to the pneumatic pump.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to FIG. 1, a brief description concerning the variouscomponents of the present invention will now be discussed. As can beseen in this embodiment, in general according to the present invention,a portable waste oil transfer station 1 includes a pneumatic pump 3 forcreating a vacuum in a collection line, conduit or hose 5 for collectingthe desired fluid and an outlet line conduit or hose 7 for disposing ofthe collected fluid in a manner to be discussed in further detail below.The pneumatic pump 3 is driven by an air tank 9 integral with the wasteoil transfer station 1. The air tank 9 is connected to the pneumaticpump 3 by a main connection line 11 and can be pre-charged with adesired air pressure to run the pneumatic pump 3. Thus, no outside orexternal power source external to the portable waste oil transferstation 1 is necessary to operate the pneumatic pump 3. Additionalrespective piping connections and fittings for both filling the air tank9 and providing a supplemental air connection 13 to either fill the airtank 9 or drive the pneumatic pump 3 are also provided and discussed infurther detail below.

The air tank 9, pneumatic pump 3, collection line 5 and outlet line 7are easily manually transported and operated by a single person oroperator. These components of the portable waste oil transfer station 1are mounted on a manually manipulatable dolly 15 as generally knownhaving a substantially vertical component supporting the frame 17, agenerally horizontally aligned base plate 19 positioning the frame 17 ina substantially vertical alignment with the ground in a restingposition, and two wheels 21 for rolling the dolly 15 along the groundwhen the oil transfer station 1 is to be moved to a different location.The dolly 15 may be modified from a typical conventional rolling dollyas used in commercial and industrial situations for moving heavyobjects, boxes, etc. The dolly 15 permits a user to grasp an upperportion of the frame 17 and pull the frame 17 towards the user, tiltingthe dolly 15 back, lifting the base plate 19 off the ground andgenerally bringing the center of gravity of the supported componentsdirectly over the wheels 21. As such dolly's and their operation andmaneuverability are well known in the art, no further description isprovided.

The air tank 9 may be generally supported on the base plate 19 of thedolly 15 and attached to a top surface thereof by any particular meansknown in the art such as welding or straps depending on whether it isnecessary to have the air tank 9 be removable or not. The air tank 9 isprovided with a conventional valve stem 23 as one method of filling andpressurizing the air tank 9 and is also usually provided with a pressuregauge 24 in order to monitor the pressure within the air tank 9.

The main connection line 11 is connected between the air tank 9, forcommunicating the supply of air from the air tank 9, and the pneumaticpump 3. The main connection line 11 is connected to the air tank 9 andextends therefrom generally upward substantially parallel with the frame17 of the dolly 15 and is then connected with the driving portion of thepneumatic pump 3 in order to power the pneumatic pump 3 and thus createa vacuum for transfer of fluids through the pneumatic pump 3. Thepneumatic pump 3 is generally a diaphragm pump which is operated bypassing the compressed gas from the gas source, e.g., the air tank 9,through the pneumatic pump 3 on one side of a moveable diaphragm asknown in the art. The diaphragm movement creates a vacuum at an inletport 25 of the pneumatic pump 3 and forces liquid out the pneumatic pump3 through an outlet port 27 to the desired storage location. Such pumpsas contemplated for the present invention can operate at up to 10-20gal/min if necessary although smaller volume flow rates may be used aswell. The pneumatic pump 3 can be almost any conventional diaphragm pumpas known in the art and commercially available, for example, an Aro pumppneumatic diaphragm pump manufactured by Ingersoll-Rand Corporation.

The main connection line 11 is provided with an upper ball valve 29 anda lower ball valve 31 in series with a pressure regulating valve 33positioned generally between the upper ball valve 29 and the pneumaticpump 3 and also a supplemental air connection 13, generally located inline between the upper and lower ball valves 29, 31. The pressureregulating valve 33, of course, is generally manually adjustable topermit an adjustable amount of gas pressure from the air tank 9 to besupplied to the pneumatic pump 3 depending on the needs of the pneumaticpump 3 to pump any particular desired fluid.

There are major safety advantages for the portable waste oil transferstation 1 of the present invention from a functional and ignition pointof view, i.e., because the pneumatic pump 3 is not electric there is asubstantially reduced risk of a spark causing ignition of any flammablecollected fluids. Additionally diaphragm pumps can be obtained whichpump a high volume of liquid and which will handle sandy or thickliquids such as weathered crude oil or water hydrocarbon sludges, andcan even handle up to two inches in diameter solid pieces of material.This can be achieved, in addition, to pumping liquids of normalviscosity or even light fluids such as condensate liquids from naturalgas. Also, diaphragm pumps can be obtained that run on very lowcompressed gas pressure so that high pressure compressed gas sourcemeans are not necessary. Certain pumps, depending on the fluid beingpumped, can run on compressed gas in the range of about 10-200 p.s.i.g.,and preferably for pumping low viscosity liquids such as gasoline in therange of about 20-50 p.s.i.g., and for oil about 30 to 75 p.s.i.g.

An important feature of the present invention is the configuration ofthe main connection line 11 between the air tank 9 and the pneumaticpump 3. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the main connection line 11 betweenthe air tank 9 and pneumatic pump 3 is provided with the upper ballvalve 29 and the lower ball valve 31, separated by a supplemental airconnection point 13. The location of the supplemental air connectionpoint 13 between the upper and lower ball valves 29, 31 is of particularimportance in that the supplemental air connection point 13 and therelative positioning of the upper and lower ball valves 29, 31 permitstwo options for driving the transfer pump 3. The first option relies onthe fact that in most vehicle maintenance facilities, there is a fixedin-place source or compressor 37 connected to a facility pressure supplyline 39 which can be used to fill tires with air, etc. With respect tothe portable waste oil transfer station 1, this supplemental airconnection 13, which may be provided with a quick connect/disconnecthook up may be connected to such an externally provided facility airpressure supply to either directly run the pneumatic pump 15, or to fillthe integral air tank to drive the pump. A further description of theseoptions is discussed in detail below.

In the case where the supplementary air connection 13 and the suppliedexternal facility air pressure supply line 39 is desired to run the pumpdirectly, the lower ball valve 31 can be closed, and the upper ballvalve 29 is opened so that the facility pressurized air is supplieddirectly to the pneumatic 3 pump through the upper ball valve 29 andregulated by the pressure regulating valve 33 located in the mainconnection line 11 between the upper ball valve 29 and the pneumaticpump 3. The pressure regulating valve 33 gives an essentially infiniteadjustability for compressed gas pressure as it arrives at the pneumaticpump 3 for speeding up and slowing down the pumping action. For example,by speeding up the pneumatic pump 3 and, therefore, the pumping action,the system of this invention can pick up a leaking fluid almost as fastas it leaks out thereby minimizing potential environmental damage.

The second option is a case where the portable waste oil transferstation 1 must be used in a location lacking or remote from a facilitysupplied air pressure source and an external air source 37. In thiscase, the air tank 9 may be initially charged, i.e., pre-charged via thefacility air pressure source 37 and then transported to the remotelocation. The air tank 9 is pre-charged by first closing the upper ballvalve 29 and then opening the lower ball valve 31 in the main connectionline 11. A connection is then made to the facility air pressure supplyline 39 at the supplemental air connection 13 and pressurizing orprecharging the air tank 9 is accomplished. When the pressure gauge 24on the air tank 9 registers a desired pre-charge pressure, for instancea maximum pressure for the air tank 9 as indicated by the air tankmanufacture, the lower ball valve 31 may be closed and the facilitypressure supply line 39 disconnected from the supplemental airconnection 13. The waste oil transfer station 1 may then be wheeled ortransported to a secondary location where the pre-charged pressurizedair tank 9 will now drive the pneumatic pump 3 when the operator opensboth the upper and lower ball valves 29, 31 and accordingly adjusts thepressure regulating valve 33 to drive the pneumatic pump 3. The air tank9 may also be precharged via a conventional valve chuck of a compressorline through the conventional valve 23 on the air tank 9.

The pneumatic pump 3, as is generally well known in the art, is operatedby passing the compressed gas or air supplied via the main connectionline 11 either from the supplemental air connection 13 or the air tank 9as discussed above, through the pneumatic pump on one side of aremovable diaphragm as is used in such pumps. The movement of thediaphragm creates a vacuum at the inlet port 25 of the pump and forcesliquid out the pneumatic pump 3 through the outlet port 27 of the pumpto a desired receptacle for the pumped liquid. The inlet port 25 of thepump 3 is connected to the collection line conduit or hose 5 which isused to remove a fluid or liquid from a specific point and move itthrough the pump 3 and to the outlet port 27 of the pump 3. The fluid isthen passed by way of the outlet line or conduit 7 into a particulardesired container, for example, a waste oil burner storage tank. It isto be appreciated that the waste oil transfer station 1 and pneumaticpump 3 is thus operated without using electrical or combustion power andthus is ensured that there is no ignition source when pumping flammablematerial such as oil, gasoline, etc.

The inlet line or conduit 5 may be of any desired length and may be aflexible rubber hose of a desired length which has a free end which isinserted into an area proximate the fluid, i.e., into a container orarea holding the oil or fluid to be collected. The outlet conduit 7connected to the pump outlet 27 may also be of any desired length andmay have either a free end for placement in a storage or collectiondevice separate from the waste oil transfer station 1, for instance, ina waste oil burner storage tank. The free end of the outlet line mayalso have a connection mechanism for connection to another externalfluid piping means, depending on the application. Thus, a fluid can bepicked up by way of the fluid inlet conduit and supplied to thecollection device 30 without any leakage or spillage.

It is also to be appreciated that at the inlet and outlet ports 25, 27where the inlet and outlet lines 5, 7 connect to the pneumatic pump 3,there is a potential for leakage at these connections. A drip pan 34 maybe positioned below the pump 3, for example, supported on the frame 17of the dolly 15 between the pump 3 and the air tank 9, as seen in FIG.1, in order to catch any minor leaks from these connections. The drippan 34 need be only large enough to capture small drips of fluid leakingfrom the inlet and outlet ports 25, 27 and thus can usually have acapacity of about 0.25 to 3.0 gal., and more preferably about 0.5 to 1.0gal. The drip pan 34 is a further important aspect of the presentinvention which can minimize environmental and hazardous waste clean upprocedures in the collection and transfer of hazardous fluids.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, aslightly modified version of the above described invention can beutilized as a self-contained compact fluid transfer device for use, forexample, in an emergency gas transfer device where one vehicle needsfuel and another vehicle nearby may have extra fuel to provide. Acontainer 41 is provided with a pneumatic pump 43, generally within aside wall and a base defining an interior reservoir 42 which includes anintermediate integrally connected air tank 49. The intermediate integralair tank 49 may be either molded directly into the container 41 or itmay be installed separately, but in either event, the intermediateintegral air tank 49 is generally one which is fixedly installed in thecontainer 41 for the purpose as described in further detail below.

The intermediate air tank 49 includes two connections. A first inletconnection 51 for receiving compressed gas from a disposable pre-chargedgas cannister 53 into the intermediate air tank 49, and a second outletconnection 55 for supplying the compressed gas from the intermediate airtank 49 to drive a pneumatic pump 43. As discussed above in the firstembodiment, the pump 43 can be of any conventional diaphragm pump wellknown in the art and commercially available. The disposable gas canister53 can be of the type generally known for example a 1-5 liter, andpreferably about 2-3 liter gas bottle having a threaded connection formating with the first inlet connection 51.

The gas bottle is provided with a higher pressure than is necessary todrive the pump. For example the bottle may have a pressure of 100 psi.The intermediate air tank 49 is sized generally larger than the bottleso that the gas introduced from the bottle into the air tank 49 expandsand the resulting pressure in the intermediate air tank 49 is lowercompared to the bottle.

The container 41 and the reservoir 42 are sized to generally encompassboth the pneumatic pump 43, the intermediate air tank 49 and thepre-charged gas canister 53. The gas canister 53 does not have to becompletely contained within the container 41, however, for purposes ofcontaining potential leaks of the transfer fluid especially through theinlet and outlet of the pump 49, the pump 43 is generally fullycontained within the container 41. At the second outlet connection 55for the intermediate air tank 49, a preset regulator 57 or an adjustableregulator may be provided at this point between the intermediate airtank 49 and the pneumatic pump 43 in order to regulate the specificamount of air pressure delivered from the air tank 49 to power the pump.

The pre-charged canister 53 connects to the first inlet connection 51 ofthe air tank 49 by a screw type connection as discussed above. Forsafety purposes, a relief valve 59 is provided in the gas inletconnection so that over pressurization of the intermediate air tank 49by the gas canister does not occur, and any gas pressure over a desiredamount in the air tank 49 may be vented to the environment. The reliefvalve 59 may comprise simply a small weep hole in the side of the inletconnection 51 which communicates with the interior of the gas bottleonce it is attached to the first inlet connection. The relief valve 59permits excess compressed gas or air not imparted to the intermediateair tank 49 to be exhausted from the gas bottle 53 to the atmosphere.This relieves any chance of compressed gas or air remaining in thebottle when it is unscrewed or otherwise disconnected from theconnection 51 so that the bottle is not forcibly ejected when it isdisconnected.

A check valve 61 may also be installed at the gas inlet connection 51 tothe intermediate air tank 49. The check valve 61 is forced open in onedirection by the pressure from the bottle 53 and ensures that once thepre-charged gas bottle or cannister 53 has discharged all the compressedair or gas the air tank 49 can handle, the pressure now in the air tank49 closes the check valve in the opposite direction. The air pressure inthe intermediate air tank 49 thus cannot enter back into the pre-chargedcannister or out the relief valve 59 positioned prior to the check valve61 in the air flow path from the bottle 53. The above discussed reliefand check valves are important safety features which, with respect tothe transfer of flammable and hazardous liquids, reduce the potentialfor spilling or igniting such liquids as discussed in this application.

As discussed with respect to the first embodiment transfer station 1,the pneumatic pump 43 of the second embodiment is provided with a fluidinlet port 45 for connection to an inlet conduit 65, and an outlet port47 for communicating with an outlet conduit 67. The inlet line orconduit 65 may be of any desired length, although it should be generallya length which can be easily coiled and stored in the container, forexample, about 10 feet of approximately 0.5 to 2.0 inch diameter conduitor flexible hose having a free end which is inserted into an areaproximate the fluid, e.g., the free end of the inlet line 65 isintroduced into a first vehicle's fuel tank 50 to withdraw the fueltherefrom. The outlet conduit 67 connected to the pump port 47 may alsobe of any desired length and diameter having a free end for placement ina collection tank 60, e.g., an empty fuel storage tank 60 of a secondvehicle.

Thus, in operation, for example, where one vehicle has run out of gasand another vehicle is available to supply gas, this compact fueltransfer device as described above, can be readily employed. Removingthe container 41 from a storage location in either vehicle, thepre-charged air canister 53, which can be stored in the container 41generally unattached to the intermediate air tank 49, is attached to thegas inlet connection 51 of the intermediate air tank 49 to charge orfill the intermediate air tank 49 with the pressurized gas. The reliefand check valves 59, 61 ensure that the air tank 49 is notover-pressurized. The free end of the inlet conduit 65 is introducedinto the gas tank 50 of the vehicle with fuel and the free end of theoutlet conduit 67 is introduced into the empty gas tank 60 of the othervehicle. With the preset regulator 57 turned on, the pump 43 is suppliedwith pressurized gas or air from the pre-charged air canister 53 via theintermediate air tank 49, the vacuum created in the pump 43 causes afluid, i.e., gas, communicating with the inlet conduit 65 to bewithdrawn or collected via the fluid inlet conduit 65 and supplied tothe empty tank 60 via the fluid outlet conduit 67 without any leakage orspillage.

Any minor leakage which might occur with the device is collected in thereservoir 42 in the container 41 and can be disposed of in anenvironmentally safe manner. The reservoir 42 generally need be onlylarge enough to capture small drips of fluid leaking from the inlet andoutlet ports 45, 47 and thus can usually have a capacity of about 0.25to 3.0 gal., and more preferably about 0.5 to 1.0 gal. The reservoir 42is a further important aspect of the present invention which canminimize environmental and hazardous waste clean up procedures in thecollection and transfer of hazardous fluids.

In accordance with both of the above described embodiments, conventionalcompressed gas pressures can be employed in the fuel transfer systemwhich is another safety feature for this invention. Compressed gassources of many different levels can be used, in particular, becausepneumatic diaphragm pumps, dependent on a particular application, can bemade to operate on compressed gas of a pressure of about 10 to 200p.s.i.g. and preferably from a 50 to 100 p.s.i.g.

It is important to note that different from the known devices, the fluidtransfer devices of the first two embodiments are used for directlytransferring fluids from any first location to any second location. Inother words, these embodiments do not require a specific collectiontank, and in fact are intended to be used with any variety ofpressurized air sources and collection tanks or containers. Thecollection tanks or containers may be fixed in place, or moveable butare not in general associated with the fluid transfer device itself.This permits a great degree of flexibility to the user in both pickingup or collecting particular fluids, and in the subsequent storage ordisposal of the fluids. Besides the unique design and construction ofthe apparatus as described above, it is the simple manualtransportability and maneuverability of the fluid transfer stationswhich is critical to permit the fast, safe and efficient transfer offluids from one location to another.

In a still further embodiment of the present invention, a portable fuelreservoir, for instance, located on a fuel supply truck for heavyequipment, may have a fuel transfer device 71 in accordance with thepresent invention. The portable fuel reservoir includes a fuel cell ortank 73 having a capacity of between about 20-200 gal., and morepreferably about 100 gal. A reservoir filling port 75 and cap 77 isprovided in a sidewall of the tank 73 to permit filling, usually withdiesel fuel. The tank 73 also includes a built in or integral pneumaticair pump 78 and air tank 79 connected together in a compartment 81adjacent the fuel reservoir, as shown in FIG. 3. The compartment 81 isprovided with a lock 83 which prevents access to the pump 78 and airtank 79 so that unauthorized persons cannot access the device andretrieve fuel therefrom.

The pneumatic air pump 78, similar to that discussed above, has a fluidinlet 84 and an fluid outlet 85 wherein the inlet 83 is connected to aninlet conduit 87 which extends to a free end down inside the fuel tank73 for withdrawing fuel therefrom, and the outlet 85 is connected to anoutlet hose 89 which can extend from the second compartment 81 to beinserted into a fuel tank 90 of, for example, heavy machinery at a jobsite. The air tank 79 is provided having a main supply conduit 91leading from the air tank 79 to the pneumatic pump 75 to provide theactuating force for driving the air pump 75. In the main supply conduit91 is positioned a regulator 93 and a ball valve 95 in order to regulatethe amount of air provided to drive the pneumatic air pump 78.

The use of the inventive device in this matter simplifies such fueldelivery tanks by eliminating the conventional wiring for an electricpump utilized in conventional truck mounted fuel pumping apparatus wherethe electric pump supplies the fuel from the diesel fuel reservoir tothe heavy equipment. This installation of such electrical wiring foractuating the pump is an expensive, generally after market undertakingto modify the trucks electrical system. The pump's wiring must beconnected to the battery or alternator of the vehicle and is not onlyexpensive, but is also prone to failure and furthermore creates thepotential hazard of electricity being used in combination with aflammable fuel, an effect which is completely eliminated by thepneumatic air driven pump of the present invention.

Thus, in operation an operator of the fuel truck, with the fuel tank ofthe present embodiment, the fuel cell is driven to the job site to fillup the heavy equipment, bulldozers, loaders, etc. The operator parksnear the equipment and unlocks the second compartment permitting accessto the air tank and pump. The outlet hose 89 is provided to the fueltank 73 of the heavy equipment and the operator then opens the ballvalve and adjusts the regulator to the desired amount to control thedriving air supply to the pneumatic pump 78 to withdraw the fuel fromthe reservoir and supply it to the fuel tank of the equipment.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described improvedportable fluid transfer station, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention herein involved, it is intended that all of thesubject matter of the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted merely as examples illustrating theinventive concept herein and shall not be construed as limiting theinvention.

1. A manually maneuverable fluid transfer station for facilitating thetransfer of a fluid from a supply point to a collection point, the fluidtransfer station comprising: a manually operable dolly having a pair ofwheels on a lower portion thereof and a handle on an upper portionthereof to permit an operator to manually wheel the dolly from a firstlocation to a second location; a compressed gas tank supported on aplatform on the lower portion of the dolly, the compressed gas tankhaving a main valve for connection to an external gas source for fillingthe compressed gas tank, a pressure gauge and a connection to a firstend of a pump supply conduit; the pump supply conduit comprising asupply valve for connection with the external gas source, a first shutoff valve located in the pump supply conduit between the compressed gastank and the supply valve, a second shut off valve positioned on anopposing side of the secondary valve; a pneumatic pump connected to asecond end of the pump supply conduit and a pressure regulating valvepositioned between the second shut off valve and the pneumatic pump foradjusting a gas pressure supplied to the pneumatic pump; and a fluidinlet conduit connected to the pneumatic pump for drawing a desiredfluid from the supply point, and a fluid outlet conduit operablyconnected to the pneumatic pump for delivering the desired fluiddirectly to any desired collection point.
 2. The manually maneuverablefluid transfer station as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a drippan interspaced between the pneumatic pump and the gas tank forcontaining any leaking fluid from connections of the fluid inlet andoutlet conduits to the pneumatic pump.
 3. The manually maneuverablefluid transfer station as set forth in claim 1 wherein the collectionpoint comprises a storage container to which the transfer stationdirectly provides the collected fluid, and the storage container is notattached to the fluid transfer station so that the transfer station maybe moveable relative to the storage container.
 4. The manuallymaneuverable fluid transfer station as set forth in claim 1 furthercomprising a first operative state wherein the supply valve is connectedto the external gas source, the first shut off valve is closed, thesecond shut off valve is open and the external gas source directlydrives the pneumatic pump, and a second operative state wherein thesupply valve is disconnected from the external gas source, the firstshut off valve is open, the second shut off valve is open and thecompressed gas tank supplies pressurized gas to drive the pneumaticpump.
 5. The manually maneuverable fluid transfer station as set forthin claim 4 further comprising a third state wherein the supply valve isconnected to the external gas source, the second shut off valve isclosed, the first shut off valve is open and the external gas sourcesupplies pressurized gas to charge the gas tank.
 6. A manually portablefluid transfer station for facilitating the transfer of a fluid from afirst point to a second point, the fluid transfer station comprising: acontainer defining an interior compartment and an intermediate air tankhaving a gas canister connection comprising a relief valve and a checkvalve for receiving a separable precharged gas canister for supplyingcompressed gas to the intermediate air tank; a pneumatic pump located inthe container; and wherein the pneumatic pump is connected to theintermediate air tank through a preset regulator for regulating a gaspressure supplied from the intermediate air tank to drive the pneumaticpump.
 7. The portable fluid transfer station as set forth in claim 6wherein the compressed gas in the precharged canister is initially at ahigher pressure than the gas pressure in the intermediate air tank, sothat upon connection of the precharged canister to the intermediate airtank, a desired lower pressure is attained in the intermediate air tankand this lower pressure is in turn a higher pressure than that necessaryto operate the pump.
 8. The manually maneuverable fluid transfer stationas set forth in claim 7 wherein any excess gas pressure in the gascanister not imparted within intermediate air tank is exhausted via therelief valve in the gas canister connection point to the atmosphere torelieve any excess pressure in the gas canister so that the gas canistercan be safely removed from the connection point.
 9. The manuallymaneuverable fluid transfer station as set forth in claim 8 wherein thecontainer further comprises a reservoir for capturing any fluid leakingfrom connections of the fluid inlet and outlet conduits to the pneumaticpump.
 10. The manually maneuverable fluid transfer station as set forthin claim 9 wherein the intermediate air tank has a volume of betweenabout 3-6 liters and the pressure imparted inside the compartment todrive the pneumatic pump is between about 10-50 psi.
 11. A method offacilitating the transfer of a fluid from a supply point to a collectionpoint, the method comprising the steps of: providing a manuallymaneuverable platform supporting a compressed gas tank for receivingexternally supplied gas and connecting the compressed gas tank to afirst end of a gas supply conduit; connecting a pneumatic pump to asecond end of the gas supply conduit and positioning a pressureregulating valve between the pneumatic pump to provide for adjusting agas pressure supplied to the pneumatic pump from the compressed gastank; and filling the compressed gas tank via an external gas source byone of a separable pressurized gas canister and an external compressorthrough a valve separate from the gas supply conduit and pressureregulating valve between the pump and the compressed gas tank.